North Korea could carry out an underground test of a nuclear weapon as early as Tuesday night as the North's reclusive leadership dramatically tries to up the stakes with the U.S. and the West, U.S. officials told NBC News.

U.S. officials say North Korea may already have an arsenal between 12 and a "few dozen" far more advanced weapons, many more than generally believed.

Little by little the North Koreans reveal they have an intact stash of about a dozen Japanese made thermonuclear devices of some sort.

Although the theory the japanese program was working on probably wouldn't lead to a really serious atom bomb, it could lead to the development of a serious trigger which could also serve as a "tactical nuke".

My prediction ~ a less than 1 kiloton explosion ~ just like the earlier ones. Again, it can be used as a trigger and they may have improved its performance.

First of all, the Japanese government would have to totally take leave of their senses to provide such technology to a rogue state, it would be like the U.S. Government to one day wake up and decide that selling some small tactical nukes to Fidel Castro wasn't a big deal. It ain't happenin'.

Second, the North Koreans would absolutely REFUSE to accept such technology from Japan, based on the historic and long standing antipathy between Tokyo and the Korean people. For those just tuning in, among Japan's many war crimes of World War II, are the crimes committed against Korea, and there is no way the Koreans are going to forget THAT.

Third, IF such a transfer of technology had taken place, you can be sure that the United States would have known about it at some point in the past and would have taken the 'appropriate steps' which would NOT have been pretty.

BTW, the Japanese committed their crimes against the Koreans back before WWI even!~ From that point on they were more in the business of turning Koreans into Japanese ~ they used Koreans almost exclusively as their guards over POWS and other foreign nationals.

I know for sure. If the Japanese decided to build nukes today they’d have the first operational model delivered on Monday. The Hello Kitty version would be on the shelf the following Friday.

Japan is in possession of more plutonium than any nation on Earth. The only thing stopping them from building nukes is their politicians. If that damn breaks Japan will be the most nuclear armed nation on the planet.

And if they decided to use them they’d happily reduce the Norks to ashes over the weekend.

27
posted on 04/24/2012 5:01:59 PM PDT
by Lurker
(The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)

More likely the Japanese would come up with the "MOTHER TONGUE" deal again and convert them to the Japanese point of view.

Recall that japan had earlier industrialized Manchuria and North Korea specifically for the purpose of keeping the HOME ISLANDS pristine and free of industrial grime and grit.

As they've done so many times in the past the Japanese can flip the switch from scholars and merchants to warriors and conquerers. You have been privileged to live during one of their scholarly manifestations.

“they used Koreans almost exclusively as their guards over POWS and other foreign nationals.”

not exactly accurate. They used Japanese in many areas. In Korea they forced Koreans to do it.

I spoke with one older gentleman who was made a supervisor over a work crew. The Japanese had just shot the old supervisor. They initially assigned it to another man, who refused it. After he was also shot the man I spoke with accepted the ‘promotion’.

48
posted on 04/24/2012 7:25:55 PM PDT
by driftdiver
(I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)

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